# Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $439,427

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The need to train scientists to conduct fungal research is greater than ever. Worldwide estimates of human
fungal disease include over a billion people with invasive, allergic, or chronic fungal diseases. Plant diseases,
caused predominantly by fungi, are estimated to reduce global food yields by 20-40%. These striking statistics
showcase the immense human and financial tolls imparted by fungal diseases. Our objective is to develop
molecular mycology scientists trained in the latest methods of laboratory, translational, or clinical research who
are fully prepared to pursue independent research careers investigating the many aspects of fungal diseases.
The Tri-Institutional Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program (Tri-I MMPTP) has been funded
since 2003 to recruit, support, and train promising postdoctoral scientists and physicians to develop productive
research careers. It is the only mycology-focused postdoctoral training program in existence, and it has been
highly successful in training the next generation of outstanding scientists. The tremendous productivity of this
training program is predicated on its unique design, leveraging the proximity of three prominent research
universities: Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State
University. These institutions offer arguably the highest geographic concentration of researchers who study
fungi in the country. The Tri-I MMPTP has trained or is currently training a total of 43 post-doctoral fellows,
many of whom have gone on to lead independent NIH-funded laboratories, lead government research efforts,
work in industry on cutting-edge projects, and assume positions of leadership in academia, government, and
industry. At many institutions, faculty who investigate medical fungi have little contact with geneticists who
work on model fungi, biochemists who study cellular mechanisms, or infectious diseases physicians who care
for immunocompromised patients. Similarly, those who study phytopathogens are intellectually, and often
physically, removed from biomedical researchers. A proven concept underlying our multidisciplinary interaction
is that clinical and basic researchers, and plant and animal mycologists, together discover new approaches
that are mutually beneficial. With this integrated design, our trainees become broadly knowledgeable,
versatile, and more attractive to prospective employers. Several outstanding training themes are responsible
for our continued success: careful selection from a large pool of competitive applicants, promotion of diversity
(including 3 of 7 current trainees from under-represented backgrounds), and centralized courses on scientific
and grant writing. These opportunities are all connected through trainee Individual Research Advisory
Committees. At the core is our dedicated mentorship, including a pathway to independence mentality and a
formalized continued mentorship program for three years after prog...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10408064
- **Project number:** 5T32AI052080-19
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ANDREW ALSPAUGH
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $439,427
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2003-09-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10408064

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10408064, Molecular Mycology and Pathogenesis Training Program (5T32AI052080-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10408064. Licensed CC0.

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